King’s Queen by Marie Johnston

Chapter 18

Kate

Violet hopped on the sidewalk.I opened my front door and she continued hopping like a bunny inside.

“Hey there, sweetie.”

“Hi, Aunt Kate.” She grinned at me and kicked her boots off. Bits of snow flew around her feet and a chunk landed on top of my socks.

Matt handed over a backpack emblazoned with a yellow My Little Pony. He would head to his job delivering furniture after this. “Thanks, Katie. Telling her that she could hang with you all day helped her get over how upset she was that she couldn’t do the wrestling tournament this week.”

“She told me she wished she could practice more.”

Matt rolled his eyes and yanked his gloves out of his pockets. “She’s been bugging Randall. I’ve asked her to lay off. He’s exhausted after work and a week of running practices.”

“I’ll wear her out.” I would be the one worn out, but I’d looked forward to today as much as Violet. Once wrestling season and the endless tournaments were done, I would have the boys over. Then all three. I had lost time to make up for.

Matt stepped back like he was going to leave, but his gaze swept over the large picture windows, up to the roofline, then across the front yard. I knew the view he was seeing better than anyone, probably even Aiden. Gently rolling hills with scattered snow that was deeper than it looked. Dried brown broom grass sticking up through the white. The landscape was serene and peaceful with its own beauty in the winter.

“Damn,” he said. “I forgot how big this house was.”

Two of Matt’s houses could fit into this place. “Want to come in?”

“Nah. I feel like a runaway steer in a ceramics shop when I’m in there.”

“I don’t have anything that’s breakable. Why don’t you and Ada come over for supper when you’re both done with work?”

His light brows popped. “Seriously?”

I frowned. “Why would I be joking?”

“I’ve been to your place twice. Once when I helped you move and that one Thanksgiving when Mom brought all the pies.”

Mom brought baked goods to other people’s houses, said it helped her nerves when she was visiting a strange place. She’d brought five pies that Thanksgiving.

I lowered my voice. Only Matt could hear. “Hey, I’m not concerned about the house getting dirty or things getting broken. And I’m not ashamed of you guys. I appreciate that your ‘fuck them’ attitude stops with me, but it’s not necessary.” I poked Matt in the chest. “And you need to quit making comments about what I have to do to get his attention, or I’ll go into graphic detail.”

His eyes flared. “Katie-bear, that would give me nightmares, and then I’d have to kick my brother-in-law’s ass. I ain’t been to jail in years; I don’t plan to go back.” He flashed an unrepentant grin. “But hey, congrats on figuring out what he’d rather look at than his phone.”

I swatted at his shoulder, but he danced out of the way.

“Ada’s mom invited us over, so we’ll have to come another time. Thanks again for taking Violet. I’m up for a promotion. If I get it, I’ll be on day shifts, in an office, and I won’t be bone weary at the end of the day. Then I can help her wrestle. I hate when she feels…” He lifted a burly shoulder.

He didn’t want to make Violet feel unwanted. Most shift-working parents didn’t have to worry about it, but they hadn’t grown up with a dad who’d rather work and fuck around than come home and spend time with his kids. “I get it.”

Matt nodded and trotted to his pickup.

I shut the door and went to find Violet. She was sprawled across the couch.

“Where’s Bud?” She hadn’t given up the nickname, and Aiden hadn’t discouraged her.

“He’s downstairs in the office. You can pop down and say hi, but you have to knock quietly in case he’s on the phone.” For the last month, he’d been wrapped up in work. More like the Aiden I had served with divorce papers. Only this time, we talked. He explained his vision for the company and how, eventually, it’d help him with work–-life balance.

He’d recommitted to the company, but he’d also recommitted to me.

I faced another weekend in a quiet house, but I’d take him lunch in the office. If Violet weren’t here, that lunch break might turn into a quickie. If Violet weren’t here, I’d find something to do. I’d been thinking about Aiden’s comment about pets. Maybe I should get a dog. I could even get two. And a cat. I could start by fostering, and then stop if I started keeping too many animals.

Violet bounded downstairs. Her knock wasn’t exactly quiet. Aiden answered right away. Even if he had been on a call, he’d mute it for her. He’d loosened up about the work he did at home. No more business wear in the home office. No more notifications, which I loved as much as he did. And he tried to arrange any virtual meetings during the week, claiming he could do desk work faster if he was uninterrupted.

Violet was already on his lap getting a tour of his desk by the time I entered. His office was as sparse as the one in the headquarters building. I’d put some of Xander’s pictures on the walls, next to his mother’s. But there were no shelves with trinkets. No photos on his desk. Just a computer and a second screen. He could play music from any of his devices but he never did. He worked in solitude, trying to make every second count.

I wished that it helped, but there was always more for him to do. Though I understood the pressure he was under better than I had before.

Violet’s blond pigtails fluttered as she craned her neck left and right. “Where’s the pictures of you and Aunt Kate?”

“Our wedding photo is upstairs,” I answered.

Aiden looked at me when he spoke to Violet. “I noticed that too. We don’t have enough pictures of us.” He beckoned me over and dug his phone out. “Go stand by Kate.”

Violet rushed me. I crouched and smoothed out her hair. Before I could look at Aiden, he snapped a picture.

“I wasn’t ready!” Violet stuffed her hands on her hips for a Wonder Woman pose. I dropped to my knees and did the same.

Violet giggled and struck a red-carpet pose next—turned to the side and looking over her shoulder. Again, I copied her.

A few more shots and Violet stopped the show. “You need to be in the pictures too, Uncle Aiden.”

I thought he’d refuse, but he spun his chair around and held the phone out to take a selfie. We crowded behind him until all of our faces were in the shot. He managed to get one with all of us smiling among all the silly-face shots—mostly from Violet.

“Okay.” I took Violet’s hand. “Let’s let him get back to work. I brought some craft kits home from the library. Want to see what we can make?”

“Sure!”

“You gonna have lunch with me, Petal?” Aiden asked before we left the office.

“Sammiches. Right, Aunt Kate?”

“That’s the plan.” I smiled at Aiden on the way out. He returned it, but I didn’t miss the loss in his eyes. He wanted to come with us, make some crafts, and help prepare sandwiches.

I’d seen that look more often. When I picked up the boys from practice when both Jason and Sophie were working. When I let him know I was running errands on the weekend. When I went to bed and he stayed up late.

He claimed that his efforts would get him to a place where he could have a life, not that he’d described it like that. What would our life look like in another four years? And would I be okay if it looked the same?

* * *

Aiden

My mind was burnedout from creating three different restructuring models to present to the board, all while keeping Grams’s anticipated arguments in mind. All three of the models didn’t include the founder of the company sticking around to make progress a pain in the ass.

It was late. Kate had to work in the morning. I had to work in the morning, and for the first time, I was considering skipping my morning workout. But if I did that, sitting at my desk would aggravate my back and make my sciatica flare up. Because that was what happened when I worked so damn much.

Violet had left hours ago. Kate had brought me supper, and I’d plugged through the rest of the evening. I left the office and slogged upstairs.

Kate was on the couch, her face lit by the light flickering from the TV. When she noticed me, she shut it off. She might be in her fluffy pajama pants and her sleep shirt, but I forgot about my fatigue when my gaze stuck on her pert nipples poking through the shirt.

Her breathing picked up. She’d noticed.

“You didn’t have to wait up,” I said as I slumped in the recliner. I was glad she had. I’d been home all damn day and hardly seen her.

“I know it’s late, but I thought we should finish the conversation we started the last time Violet was here.”

It only took a moment for me to recall what had been interrupted. “Kids.”

She nodded. Her expression wasn’t neutral, but it was guarded. “Kids. Do you want them?”

I scrubbed my face. “Yeah, I mean of course. It’s just…a bad time.” I winced. “God, I know I’ve said this before, but I’m working on it. I really am. If this goes through, if we can restructure the company, then it’ll be different. It’ll be different.” Would saying it twice make it true?

Her gaze intensified, and her jaw worked like she was chewing the inside of her cheek. She could claim nothing had changed and she’d be right. I still worked long hours. I still hardly saw her. We talked more when I was around. That was about it.

I’d asked her for time once. She’d given it to me. And I was asking for more time again.

Her jaw quit moving. She’d come to a decision and her multifaceted eyes filled with resolve.

This was it. She had every right to issue an ultimatum. This relationship had been one-sided since the beginning, and I was asking her to stay the course.

But she didn’t say anything. Instead, she eased off the couch to her knees and prowled toward me.

“Kate?”

She stopped at my feet. The heaviness of our conversation kept my body from fully reacting to her proximity, and especially her position. “I like where we’re at. It’s enough, Aiden. It’s enough.” She ran her hands up my legs and my restraint was obliterated. My erection went from a few extra pumps of blood to a raging hard-on. “I’ve been wanting to do this. Just this, just because.”

She didn’t initiate sex. I’d realized it, but I’d never wanted her to feel uncomfortable, so I’d never mentioned it. If she needed me to make the first move, I’d happily do it. She was my wife, of course she’d sucked my dick before, but it’d been during sex, as if she felt like returning the favor after I’d made her come on my tongue. I hadn’t thought that she enjoyed it. I’d never asked for her to suck me off, and I hadn’t dared let myself dream in case blow jobs were on her I’d-rather-not list.

And here I’d thought she’d call me out for requesting more time, again. This was special. Just like her.

I kept my hands on the armrests, afraid sudden movement would turn her boldness into embarrassment. “I’m all yours.”

She pulled her glasses off and set them on the end table. This was the sexiest foreplay of my life. When she curled her fingers under my waistband, I couldn’t remember looking forward to something so much.

She yanked my waistband down. Cool air wafted over my rigid cock as it sprang free. The thing didn’t bob though. I was too fucking hard for that.

Her hands hadn’t left my waistband. She eyed my erection like she was afraid it’d bite back.

“Are you sure you want to, Kate?”

Her gaze popped up to mine. It wasn’t trepidation I saw, but anticipation. “Yes,” she breathed. “I want to. I just… I’m not good at it.”

“The fuck you aren’t.”

Her brows lifted. “But I haven’t really done anything like that for you.”

The whole time we’d been together, she’d been afraid of disappointing me. I realized that now. “Kate.” I ran my hands through her hair, letting the silky strands cool my fingers when the rest of me was a furnace.

“I figured you’d had”—she grimaced like she hated taking a highlighter to her perceived shortcomings—“better.”

“Than you?” I said incredulously. “Get that shit out of your head. Everything’s better with you. Everything.” I pointed to my straining cock. “Especially when it comes to you touching me like that.”

Her soft chuckle blew air across my heated flesh and I nearly groaned.

I cupped her chin. “Before you, my life was empty, including the sex.”

She spread her hands out and ran them down my thighs. The horny guy inside me willed her to drift closer to my dick, but the married man trying to make sure his wife knew how much he desired her held it in.

She chewed the inside of her lip as she brushed a hand up my leg. I let out a ragged moan when her warm hand gripped the shaft. “I still don’t have much experience with this. I should probably practice.”

“As much as you want. I’m not going to complain.”

She scooted closer and I widened my legs for her. Her mouth descended on the tip and I was riveted. Her lips opened and my lungs froze. She sucked me into her mouth and my head dropped back. “Kate. Goddamn.”

She played. That was the only way I could describe it. I held back as much as I could to keep from choking her with wild, aimless thrusts. But she toyed with me. I didn’t care if she was doing it intentionally or not. My balls were strung tight. My spine sizzled with unspent energy, but she didn’t settle on a rhythm.

She was studying me. Pumping my shaft while her head bobbed up and down. Another low groan eked out of me when she gave my balls a squeeze. She kept doing it. Pumping and squeezing and sucking.

I like where we’re at. It’s enough, Aiden. It’s enough.

Had there been resignation in her words? Was she giving me a blow job because she didn’t want me to question her easy acceptance? She’d tell me if she had an issue with waiting—

She swirled her tongue around the tip and licked all the way down.

“Kate.” My fingers curled into the armrest.

She had free rein to do whatever the hell she wanted with me. I was getting close when she ran her tongue around the crown. My hips jacked up.

“I’m not going to last long,” I warned her, but she didn’t stop. My hips had a mind of their own, but she moved with me. I rolled my hips up and she sucked me down.

Fucking divine.

I did it again. And again.

“Kate—” That was all the warning I could get out, but she didn’t stop.

Lightning gripped my body. I barked out her name, my back bowing as my balls drew impossibly tighter, and released into her hot mouth.

My wife was drinking me down. I was spasming too hard to stare, but I caught enough of the erotic picture to never forget it.

When I sagged, she released my cock with a pop and sat back, wiping off her mouth. The self-satisfied expression on her face would’ve made me chuckle if I’d had enough energy after the most amazing blow job.

I gathered her onto my lap, careful of my ultra-sensitive dick. To let her know that nothing she could do would turn me off, I brought her head down and kissed her. She stiffened for a heartbeat before she melted into me.

Her flannel-clad ass stroked against my cock and the sensitivity changed from needing a moment to ready to go.

I broke the kiss to murmur a thank-you against her lips. I didn’t just mean for the last few minutes, but for understanding me, for being patient.

She tucked her head under my chin. I couldn’t see her expression. I was afraid to. What decision had she come to before she’d crawled toward me? It wasn’t about whether or not to give me a blow job.

I needed time to prove to her that she’d made the right decision, whatever it was.